March 17, 2025 –
TORONTO – The Ontario government needs to fund the removal of lead from school drinking water infrastructure to protect children’s health, says an analysis published today by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).
“After nearly 20 years of following the province’s outdated policies for addressing lead in school drinking water, students are still being exposed to it. It’s time for a new approach,” said Julie Mutis, a Community Outreach Worker with CELA.
The report, Time to Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water, uses publicly available data to rank the school boards and schools with the highest number of water tests that exceeded the provincial limit of 10 parts-per-billion (ppb) in the 2023/24 school year. The analysis shows that too many schools still have a lead problem and illustrates the need for a new approach to protect the health of school children, focusing on the complete removal of lead from school infrastructure.
“The status quo isn’t good enough because there is no safe dose of lead in drinking water. The province needs to set their sights on permanently removing all lead plumbing components from schools,” said Jacqueline Wilson, Counsel with CELA.
The report recommends the Ontario government provide financial support to school boards to remove lead sources from drinking water infrastructure. It also encourages school boards to voluntarily adopt updated best practices and advocate for provincial-level change.
“The Ontario government must provide school boards with the financial resources they need to protect the health of students. Until the province makes these resources available, school boards and parents can take voluntary actions to prevent harm and advocate for their community’s right to clean water,” said Mutis.
The top three school boards for lead exceedances in 2023/2024 were Ottawa Carleton District School Board, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board. The top three individual schools for lead exceedances were St. Joseph’s School in Dryden, ON., Toronto’s Zion Heights Junior High School, and l’École Publique Thunder Bay.
Ontario is one of only three provinces and territories that has not adopted the federal lead concentration guidance of 5 ppb, which was introduced after new research linked even low levels of lead exposure to negative health effects.
For more information or interviews, contact: Jacqueline Wilson, Counsel, jacqueline@cela.ca
Tel: 416-960-2284. x. 7213, 1-844-755-1420
The report is available here.
Une version française du communiqué de presse est disponible ici.
Media Release: Ontario Government Must Remove Lead from School Drinking Water
March 17, 2025 –
TORONTO – The Ontario government needs to fund the removal of lead from school drinking water infrastructure to protect children’s health, says an analysis published today by the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).
“After nearly 20 years of following the province’s outdated policies for addressing lead in school drinking water, students are still being exposed to it. It’s time for a new approach,” said Julie Mutis, a Community Outreach Worker with CELA.
The report, Time to Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water, uses publicly available data to rank the school boards and schools with the highest number of water tests that exceeded the provincial limit of 10 parts-per-billion (ppb) in the 2023/24 school year. The analysis shows that too many schools still have a lead problem and illustrates the need for a new approach to protect the health of school children, focusing on the complete removal of lead from school infrastructure.
“The status quo isn’t good enough because there is no safe dose of lead in drinking water. The province needs to set their sights on permanently removing all lead plumbing components from schools,” said Jacqueline Wilson, Counsel with CELA.
The report recommends the Ontario government provide financial support to school boards to remove lead sources from drinking water infrastructure. It also encourages school boards to voluntarily adopt updated best practices and advocate for provincial-level change.
“The Ontario government must provide school boards with the financial resources they need to protect the health of students. Until the province makes these resources available, school boards and parents can take voluntary actions to prevent harm and advocate for their community’s right to clean water,” said Mutis.
The top three school boards for lead exceedances in 2023/2024 were Ottawa Carleton District School Board, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board. The top three individual schools for lead exceedances were St. Joseph’s School in Dryden, ON., Toronto’s Zion Heights Junior High School, and l’École Publique Thunder Bay.
Ontario is one of only three provinces and territories that has not adopted the federal lead concentration guidance of 5 ppb, which was introduced after new research linked even low levels of lead exposure to negative health effects.
For more information or interviews, contact: Jacqueline Wilson, Counsel, jacqueline@cela.ca
Tel: 416-960-2284. x. 7213, 1-844-755-1420
The report is available here.
Une version française du communiqué de presse est disponible ici.
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